School Overview

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Rosa Parks Elementary School is named after Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, a courageous civil rights activist whose act of defiance became a turning point in American history. Born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, Parks grew up in the segregated South, where she first encountered the harsh realities of racial injustice.

However, it was on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, that she made her most famous stand. When Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus to a white passenger, she was arrested, igniting the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This 382-day protest, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ultimately led to the Supreme Court’s decision that racial segregation on public transportation was unconstitutional.

Throughout her life, Parks was an active member of the NAACP, working on cases of racial injustice and advocating for African American rights. After the boycott, she relocated to Detroit, where she continued her activism, serving on the staff of Congressman John Conyers.

Parks received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. She also founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, which educates young people about civil rights. Rosa Parks died on October 24, 2005, at the age of 92. In a historic tribute to her legacy, she became the second African American and first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.

At Rosa Parks Elementary School, we strive to embody the ideals that defined her legacy—courage, fairness, integrity, and a commitment to equity for all. Our school community is dedicated to empowering every student to stand up for what is right, embrace diversity, and lead with kindness and respect. In everything we do, we honor Rosa Parks’ vision of a more just and compassionate world.